Whitney Duncan (born August 3, 1984) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She finished as the fifth place finalist on the fifth season of Nashville Star. She has released one studio album and has charted on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart with "When I Said I Would" and "Skinny Dippin'," as well as a Christmas single and guest appearance on a Kenny Rogers single which was released before her Nashville Star appearance. In the fall of 2011, Duncan competed on the 23rd season of Survivor, Survivor: South Pacific, where she ultimately finished in 9th place, becoming the fourth member of the jury. In the fall of 2014, Duncan and her then-fiance;, fellow Survivor: South Pacific castaway Keith Tollefson, competed together on the 25th season of The Amazing Race, where they placed in 8th place.

Early life

Duncan was born on August 3, 1984 in Scotts Hill, Tennessee, a town consisting of only 900 people. Her father is a state environmentalist and her mother is a schoolteacher. Her grandfather introduced her to music.[1] Duncan began singing at her church, later performing in local talent shows, fairs, and festivals. She would also travel to the neighboring states of Kentucky and Missouri to perform at events. In her early teens, she began to travel to Nashville[2] to perform at local clubs, including Tootsie's Lounge.[1]

Music career

In her senior year of high school, Duncan signed a recording contract with a label, cutting a few sides she had written. One of these sides was "My World Is Over", which became a duet with Kenny Rogers, and appeared on his 42 Ultimate Hits album in 2004.[2] A single was made of their duet, and charted for one week on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in July 2004. Afterwards, Duncan parted ways with the label.[3] In 2006, she opened for the CMA Music festival, performing the national anthem and singing the next day as well.[4]

In 2007, Duncan participated on the USA network show Nashville Star and self-released her debut album. After coming in fifth place, she signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville. Her first solo single, "When I Said I Would" was released from the label in August 2008,[2] peaking at No. 48 on the U.S. country charts. The second single, "The Bed You Made," followed in December 2008 and failed to chart. The third single, "Skinny Dippin" was released in July 2009, and debuted at No. 60 and reached No. 48 as well. A Christmas digital single, a cover version of the Mariah Carey hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You", was issued in November 2008. A digital EP titled Selections From Right Road Now was released in December 2008.

Duncan's debut album, Right Road Now, was originally slated for a May 2009 release, but was pushed back due to the lackluster success of the singles. The album was released digitally and through Amazon.com on compact disc on April 20, 2010.

Duncan's song "So Sorry Mama" is featured in the 2011 movie Footloose, and on its soundtrack. She sang and co-wrote "So Sorry Mama" with John Shanks and Gordie Sampson. "So Sorry Mama" was also on her Right Road Now CD released on Warner Brothers in 2010. Duncan released a new single called "That's How You Make Love" on July 31, 2012.

In 2016, Duncan founded the band Post Monroe with Ashlee Hewitt and Shelby McLeod but in late 2017 the band became a duo after Shelby departed the group.[5]

Survivor

Beginning September 2011, Duncan appeared as a contestant on the CBS reality television series, Survivor: South Pacific, as part of the Savaii tribe. Duncan formed a very close, romantic bond with Keith Tollefson, and the two teamed up with Jim Rice and another pair within the tribe--Ozzy Lusth and Elyse Umemoto--early on in the game. At the urging of Rice, Duncan cooperated in the elimination of Umemoto to limit Lusth's power.

At the merge, Duncan and the rest of the old Savaiis were betrayed by former tribemate John Cochran, which led to the entire former Savaii tribe being voted out one by one. Duncan herself was voted out on Day 27; she and Dawn Meehan lost the Redemption Island duel the next day against former tribemate Lusth. Duncan finished ninth overall and was the fourth member of the jury, where she was later one of the six jury members who voted for Sophie Clarke to win the season.[6]

Several years later, in the official issue of CBS Watch magazine commemorating the 15th anniversary of Survivor, Duncan was voted by viewers as the fifth most attractive female contestant in Survivor history.[7]

Personal life

Duncan married musician Donny Fallgatter on August 1, 2010, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee after two months of dating.[9] The couple's divorce was granted in November 2011.[9] She became engaged to Keith Tollefson on February 14, 2013. The two had begun a relationship on their season of Survivor. In May 2014, Duncan appeared on TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, where she chose a wedding dress for her forthcoming nuptials to Tollefson.[10] The two of them were married in July 2014.[11]

She and Tollefson, as an engaged couple, raced together on The Amazing Race 25,[12] where they were the fourth team eliminated on the fifth leg of the race after being U-Turned by the mother/daughter team of Shelley and Nici, finishing in eighth place.